Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 65

Devanagari script

यम उवाच । एकदा ब्रह्मलोकेऽहं नमस्कर्तुं पितामहम् । गतवानस्मि तं देशं कार्याकार्यविचारणे

Transliteration

yama uvāca | ekadā brahmaloke'haṃ namaskartuṃ pitāmaham | gatavānasmi taṃ deśaṃ kāryākāryavicāraṇe

Translation

യമൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഒരിക്കൽ ഞാൻ ബ്രഹ്മലോകത്തിൽ പിതാമഹൻ ബ്രഹ്മാവിനെ നമസ്കരിക്കാൻ പോയി. ചെയ്യേണ്ടതും ചെയ്യരുതാത്തതും വിചാരിക്കാനായി ആ ലോകത്ത് എത്തി.

Word by Word

• यमः: Yama
• यमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• एकदा: once
• एकदा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एकदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• ब्रह्मलोके: in Brahmā’s world
• ब्रह्मलोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मलोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘ब्रह्मणः लोकः’

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• नमस्कर्तुम्: to bow, to pay respects
• नमस्कर्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + √कृ (धातु) + तुमुन् (infinitive)
• Form: तुमुनन्त-अव्यय (infinitive), ‘to pay homage’

• पितामहम्: the Grandfather (Brahmā)
• पितामहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गतवान्: having gone
• गतवान्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु) + क्तवत् (कृदन्त; past active participle)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि-भूतकृदन्त; ‘having gone’

• अस्मि: am (have)
• अस्मि: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘गतवान् अस्मि’ = periphrastic perfect sense

• तम्: that
• तम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (देशम्)

• देशम्: place, region
• देशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कार्याकार्यविचारणे: in the deliberation of what should and should not be done
• कार्याकार्यविचारणे: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अकार्य (प्रातिपदिक) + विचारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘कार्य-अकार्ययोः विचारणे’ (locative of purpose/occasion)

Speaker

Yama

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Brahmaloka

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yama arrives in Brahmaloka to bow to Brahmā; a luminous, orderly realm with lotus-thrones, Vedic symbols, and an atmosphere of deliberative dharma-counsel.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Brahmā (Pitāmaha)
• Brahmaloka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even cosmic authorities uphold dharma through consultation and discernment, grounding sacred narratives in moral order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tirtha is named in this verse; it sets the celestial frame that leads into the Dharmāraṇya account.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the act described is namaskāra (obeisance) and deliberation on dharma.